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Friday, January 15, 2010

Early Confession

I feel like I got a lot done this week, and have been working very hard, but didn't actually get any writing done at all, except for blogging. Does this count? I did though, get some other big stuff accomplished. I got both of the blogs networked, (whatever that means, I'm not quite sure yet). I outlined a new novel (yes, I know the other one isn't done yet) that I am immensely excited about, and have the basics of where I want to go with it already worked out. Have been doing a lot of research for it to flesh out the outline. It's going to require a lot more research (historical fiction), but it definitely has legs. Not all ideas do. This one survived the week of hard-core wrestling standing strong. Now the big question is; do I abandon the old unfinished story I've been toiling with for a couple of years? Set it aside for now? Toss it in the fire where perhaps it belongs?
Also got some work done preparing manuscripts to send to a potential publisher next week. That has actually been in the works for a hell of a long time, and should be going out next week.
But right now I'm shutting shop down ~ going away for the long weekend. Really do hope rest and relaxation is involved, but am also going to be doing something I've never done before, and am not likely to ever do again, so I'm probably going to write about it...obliged to you for hearing me.

Monday, January 11, 2010

Sunday, January 10, 2010

Sunday Morning Confession

     Well, I wanted to write this blog, in part, so that I would be held accountable as a self employed writer, and I know that requires a regular honest appraisal of my accomplishments, or lack thereof. I'm thinking that a weekly confession should suffice. Self flagellation to follow.
     I guess it is rather apparent that much of my time and energy in the last week was devoted to establishing my blogs. (The other is t2fish.blogspot.com.) I'm fine with that. I think it should require a lot of work at the beginning, that it won't be so time consuming in the future, and I'm pretty happy with the way it is going. I am actually enjoying it a lot more than I thought I would, but I really do love all aspects of being a writer.
     Other than that, didn't get much done. Let's see; ... I got my grade report back from my first graduate class at Harvard Extension School (after an agonizing wait), and spent a lot of time reviewing the report (I got an A) and the 20 page paper I had written. I am currently reworking the paper to submit to Yankee magazine, but didn't get far, feeling a little stuck with that right now. I have done a lot of networking this week, not all of it of this nature. I've had a couple of conversations with a woman in a neighboring town who wants me to write something of a historical nature which I am interested in doing, and another with an artist/ friend who I've asked to work with me on a broadside I want to do of one of my poems. Both of those projects are still in the planning stages. My column came out on Wednesday and I always spend a couple of hours following up with it when it does. And this week was the monthly Portsmouth Poetry Hoot where I read a poem, and whenever I do that, I spend a fair amount of time revising the poem both before and after the reading. I consider the two hours I spend there listening to other poets important to my development as a writer too. Last night I attended a memoir reader's theatre salon given by Susan Poulin (a popular Maine blogger) whose current work with hospice is of interest to me and my Prickly Pear Poetry Project so that was part work / part pleasure.
     And I consider reading an important part of my career too, and it can be very difficult to find time to read, at least for me. This week I've been trying to get a head start on my next class as the reading requirement looks relatively heavy, and the first book is Freud's case history of Dora, which I am finding predictably frustrating (kind of infuriating really) to get through.
     In retrospect, it seems like a fair amount of work, and on the other hand I got in a lot more exercize this week. .. can I get any credit for that?